Packers vs. Lions: Tale of the tape for Week 6 matchup
Defense
Packers
The Packers’ defense continues to be a great group. They shut the Cowboys’ running game down and dominated Dallas’ offensive line. The pass defense didn’t hold up quite as well, but when you are up 31-3 in the third quarter of a game, the opposing team is going to be desperate to get back into the game. And in order to do that, you need to abandon the run and rely on the pass.
Jaire Alexander had a tough game, easily his worst performance of the season, but he still had some big plays. He stayed aggressive all game, which led to some big plays for Dallas, but he also had some big breakups too.
Otherwise, the secondary has been excellent this season. Kevin King is looking like the second-round pick we all hoped he’d be. Adrian Amos has been a reliable safety, something the Packers haven’t had since Nick Collins was back there. Darnell Savage has also been solid but left last week with an injury and will miss the game on Monday night.
The Smiths continue to be playmakers, constantly making plays in the backfield and harassing opposing quarterbacks.
As a unit, the Packers give up just 18.6 points per game (eighth) but give up 376.8 yards per game (22nd). This is a bend, but don’t break defense. They may give up some yards, but they don’t give up points easily. They do, however, get takeaways. The Packers are fourth in the NFL with 2.2 takeaways per game.
Lions
The Lions have struggled defensively this year. They have given up an average of 23.8 points per game (20th) and 405.5 yards per game (27th). This is a defense with a good defensive line. They will be without former Packer Mike Daniels, who suffered a foot injury earlier in the year.
In the secondary, Darius Slay has been a solid player as usual. He missed the last game with a hamstring injury but should be back to play Monday night against the Packers. He is one of the reasons why the Lions average two takeaways per game, good for sixth in the NFL.
They do, however, struggle to get to the quarterback. Probably because they really don’t send a lot of pressure with blitzes. They depend on their defensive front to get pressure on the quarterback as they drop back in pass coverage. Rodgers should have time to find a receiver and make something happen, especially with the way the offensive line has been playing.